


this world is ours for the moment

by austen



Category: The Vampire Diaries
Genre: F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-07
Updated: 2010-12-07
Packaged: 2017-10-13 13:46:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/138035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/austen/pseuds/austen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's still strange for her to wake up to the sun every morning.</p>
            </blockquote>





	this world is ours for the moment

**Author's Note:**

> Written for stainofmylove, who requested the above (or some of it, anyway) with the prompt, _I am grateful for this day_. Spoilers up to 2.10.

The early morning light filters in through her window, but she's awake long before the sun even comes up.

She doesn't need an alarm clock to coax her out of bed anymore, a fact she didn't understand until she came to the realization that she can sense the world waking up. She sits up, hair mussed with sleep that she probably doesn't need, either - and stretches, arms winding lazily above her head. She yawns. The humanity of the action almost makes her smile - some mornings are so routine that it reminds her of her old life, and she can almost forget, just for a second.

She stands and crosses the room to her vanity, staring at her own reflection in the mirror. Downstairs, she can hear her mother getting ready for work. She notices the time on the bedside clock, digital letters glowing red. It's still too early for her to be awake, to even make up a good excuse that the honorable Sheriff would believe.

 _No._ Her guilt creeps up on her like a snake coiling around her heart, squeezing its grip until her chest aches. _Don't even think that about her. Not after everything._

With a sigh, Caroline sits by her window, stretching her legs out across the sill. Unflinching. Her fingers slowly turn the lapis lazuli on her other hand, around and around. The band is cool on her skin.

She tilts her head up into the glare of the rising sun and stares into the brightness as long as she's able.

-

Tyler's late.

Standing by the rows of old lockers, her gaze scans the milling crowd - some quickly rushing off to class before the first bell, a lone few deliberately delaying until the very last minute. Today, she falls under the latter category, but there's any number of excuses she could use if caught by a teacher.

One of the many benefits of being the incumbent Miss Mystic Falls.

 _But how many of the past winners had the ability to compel people into doing what they wanted?_

The bell rings, jarring her from her own thoughts.

Matt's there, all of a sudden, inhabiting her personal space in the flood of students heading to homeroom, and she has to take slow, steadying breaths to control herself as she's overwhelmed by the scent of him. It's strong, heady, the combination of that discount fabric softener he uses and the spritz of cologne he sneaks on occasionally. She thought it was hot long before she was able to hear the sound of his heart racing every time the two of them bump into each other.

Now, all it does is make her hungry.

"Matt," she exclaims, before she remembers to follow it up with a quietly voiced _hi_.

His eyes are red-rimmed. She can't expect him to even notice that she put on that watermelon lip gloss he told her he liked once. Not that she did it for him.

"Hey, Care," he mutters. She doesn't have to look to know that he's forcing a smile, but she does anyway, and before she can think of anything to say that sounds even remotely reassuring, she loses him in the flow of backpacks and textbooks and people excitedly recounting details of their weekends.

"I'm sorry," she whispers, to no one in particular, and tenses as someone puts a hand over her eyes.

She reacts in a way that's a little too quick to be human, grabbing the connecting wrist and squeezing until bones threaten to crack in her grip.

" _Jesus_ , Caroline," Tyler hisses, as she rips his hand off her face and spins around, shoving him back against the lockers with a loud clang, the sound ricocheting down the empty hallway.

"I told you it wasn't a good idea to sneak up on me," she murmurs, only releasing her hold halfway. "Besides, you're late."

"Yeah." Tyler shrugs, shifting his backpack over his shoulder. "Mom had another one of her dates with the bottle of vodka last night. Only this time she did it with a Vicodin chaser."

"Tyler. I - " she starts. Under her fingertips, his pulse flutters, and she runs her thumb over the inside of his wrist, slowly circling.

"Don't," he warns, glancing away. She drops her gaze to their hands.

"She's just taking it kind of hard, you know?" Tyler's voice cracks slightly. "First Dad, now Mason - I've got to be careful with all of this. She can't lose me, too. I just don't know what I'm going to do about tomorrow night - "

The full moon. Caroline's hand slides up to his arm, fingers wrapping around his left bicep.

"Nothing," she says, slowly and with certainty, "is going to happen to you. Because I'm going to be right there to make sure you stay exactly where you're supposed to." She steps in toward him. He draws in a breath. Her eyes flutter closed so she's not focused on the pulse of his jugular when he turns his cheek against her temple.

"Caroline," he breathes. "It's getting worse. God, it feels like I'm about to crawl out of my own skin every second."

"You can get through this. _We_ can get through this." Caroline swallows. "Mason was alone. You don't have to be."

"Okay." His reply is weak the first time, stronger when he repeats it. "Okay." His hand cups the underside of her arm.

"Besides," she adds, leaning back to look up at him, "you're one of the few people who makes this place remotely tolerable."

Tyler smirks. "Yeah, whatever."

"I'm serious!" Caroline exclaims, drawing her hand back to gently punch him in the arm. That's what she intends to do, anyway, until he moves in first, brushing her hair away from her cheek to let his palm rest there, kissing her mid-sentence, her _you suck, Lockwood_ lost in the taste of his lips. It's long enough to shut her up and short enough to leave her dazed and grinning like a complete idiot as he pulls away.

"You're late for class," he points out. He drops his hand, fingers bumping against her hip.

"Walk me?" she asks.

He answers by a nod, and she ducks her head to hide the grin that persists on her lips. She can hear Alaric before they even get to the closed door, trying to settle down a class riding on a weekend high. She shares a smile with Tyler, drawing her lower lip into her mouth and tasting the reminder of the kiss, minty from his toothpaste.

"Tyler?"

He turns, already halfway up the stairs.

 _You make me grateful for every day I'm still alive,_ Caroline wants to say.

"My mom won't be home later - you know, after school," she finishes lamely. Tyler looks at her for a moment, without saying anything right away.

"You know, Forbes, this place isn't half as shitty with you around, either," he finally chuckles - and, God, right _there_ , she thinks, if her heart still knew how to flutter, it would.


End file.
